I’ve been working for a living since 1971, and I’ve always been able to get a job in a matter of days. Not so today. Since being laid off in late 2008, I’ve applied and applied, to no avail.

I told a friend, “It’s a good thing I have hobbies that pay: writing and painting. I’ve always written for companies and for publication while holding down a full-time job. I’ve always painted and hung art showings every one to two years.

It’s a good thing for me, but everyone is not so fortunate. I see on the news and witness around me, the horrible toll unemployment exacts from those who have nothing to fall back on.

The most recent passage of HR 4213 – Unemployment Compensation Extension Act will help some of them, but not those who have exceeded 99 weeks. This is the much ignored 5th Tier that was not added to the current bill and is not a front-of-mind for our legislators.

What are these Americans to do? They have exceeded or will soon exceed 99 weeks of unemployment compensation, and are not considered as viable candidates for hire because of their unemployed status.

What can we do.

If you work for and/or make the policy that excludes people ready, willing and able to work because they are ‘unemployed’, STOP IT!

If you are an agency and are asked to discriminate against unemployed citizens, report that discrimination.

The rest of us need to rabble rouse: Blog it; Tweet it; deluge the White House, Senate and Congress with e-mails, letters, petitions in support of extending HR 4213 to Tier 5 and looking into the discriminatory hiring practices of U.S. companies.

It’s always worked for me, and as there are always creative outlets in most of the companies I’ve worked for, I’ve always enjoyed it. I’ve written sales letters, brochures, newsletters, annual reports, PowerPoint presentations, and press releases for print and electronic media within the scope of my many jobs.

I liked the structure of dashing off to the office and putting in a full day, then dashing home to my studio/office to work on my latest project while dinner warmed.

The transition to 100% freelance has been a bumpy ride. For a long time, I missed the office hustle, the deadlines, the daily interaction with co-workers.

When I was first laid off, I wrote a little less, and painted a little less – the urgency of squeezing in my creative endeavors around that daily grind was gone. It took awhile to hit my stride, but I need/want more to do.

I’m open to both. I take freelance work, and I’ve taken some temporary office assignments and the odd client, that wants me in-house and under thumb.

My bottom line is The bottom line, so if anyone out there is in need of or knows of anyone in need of an excellent freelance writer and/or an executive assistant, with considerable credentials and a creative bent, I’m here, ready, willing and able.